The Austrian government wanted to knock down the house where Hitler was born. But the town said no, you can't stop people from remembering history. But you can try to make sure that when they do, they know what really happened.

Who was Frank Zappa? Virtuoso guitarist? Modernist composer? Smutty lyricist? Anti-censorship activist? All of the above ... and much more in the former East Germany. There, his banned records fetched small fortunes among rebellious young men who dreamed of freedom. This episode of The World in Words podcast spends 30 minutes in the company of one such man who now runs a Zappa-themed festival. We also hear from an American translator who explains Zappa's obscure lyrics to German fans, line by line.

Updated

07/08/2016 - 11:15pm

Iceland made history this week, but not in a good way. For the first time since the nation became an independent republic, armed police shot and killed a man, startling a population accustomed to peace.

What does it mean to be white? And what does it mean to be Hispanic? Being a Spaniard from Barcelona, Jaime Gonzalez always considered himself to be European and white. But as a BBC reporter working in California — he has found that many Americans see him differently.

In France, government-funded agencies help people save their loved ones from so-called cults. But that list includes groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses and, not too long ago, Baptists. Some of them are now fighting back in courts.

Sometimes we choose dogs — and sometimes they choose us. A scruffy, yellow Ecuadorean street dog followed a team of Swedish trekkers on a race through the Amazon. He became the star of the race and ended up becoming the trusty companion to the team's captain.

You may have noticed that more and more wine bottles — even expensive ones — are increasingly coming with screw tops and synthetic stoppers. You might not think much about the stopper when you make a purchase, but cork producers want you to start. They're mounting a campaign to show that real cork is better for the planet.

People around the world are up in arms about the way Danish zoo officials killed a healthy giraffe and fed it to the lions. But the zoo is defending its decision as a way of protecting the giraffe population from inbreeding.

Grand juries decided not indict the police officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The decision enraged many Americans, who questioned why the incidents didn't deserve an open trial — exactly the reason why the UK, the originator of grand juries, abolished its own system long ago.